1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chat apparatus, a server, chat method and program product for chat and particularly, to a chat apparatus and server which can provide relaxed conversation, a chat method and a program product for chat therefor.
2. Description of Related Art
On conventional personal-computer communications, chat systems have been providing services which allow participants to make real-time conversation with each other.
In a chat system, plural participants can simultaneously talk to each other, and a message from one participant is monitored by every one of the participants.
JPA 2001-202315 discloses one of techniques concerning conventional chat systems. According to this technique, a conversation device enables mutual transmission/reception and display of text messages, sharing a virtual space connected to and established on a network. This conversation device has an input/output table, a reaction means, and a display means. The table stores predetermined reactions, predetermined input operations for specifying the predetermined reactions and predetermined symbols expressing the reactions so that the reactions, input operations and symbols are linked to each other. The reaction means notifies the reactions corresponding to the input operation, to other conversation devices in the virtual space by using the conversation device. The display means displays the symbols transmitted from other conversation devices, independently from text messages.
JPA 2002-063124 discloses a chat system capable of establishing a network and of mutually transmitting/receiving messages through any of plural virtual spaces prepared on the network. The chat system includes plural terminals each having a display means which displays the transmitted/received messages together with communicator identification information, and a table means which stores identifiers of communicators which use the vertical communication spaces, and character string information items respectively corresponding to the identifiers. The character strings are used as the communicator identification information items.
JPA 2002-288102 discloses a communication terminal which a user uses to participate in a chart service as an electronic communication service which allows plural users to exchange messages on a network. The communication terminal has an input means for inputting message data from the user, a communication means connected to a network and for receiving message data from other users, and a display means which displays, as plural message data, the message data inputted through the input means from the user and the message data received by the communication means from the other users. The display means has a data processing means which processes message data so that the order of given message data of at least part of the plural message data is displayed clearly.
JPA 2003-114858 discloses a message chat system configured by connecting a client device and a message chat information processing device to be communicable with each other via a network. The client device is for a user who conducts virtual dialogue. The message chat information processing device processes information concerning a virtual dialogue conducted by the client device. The client device has a terminal dialogue control means which receives an input requesting start of a virtual dialogue from outside of the client device and transmits this virtual dialogue start request to the message chat information processing device via the network. The message chat information processing device has a dialogue partner determination means which determines a dialogue partner in a predetermined determination method upon reception of the dialog start request by the message chat information processing device, and a dialogue request means which transmits a dialogue start request to another client device of the dialogue partner determined by the dialogue partner determination means via the network. Upon reception of the dialog start request, the terminal dialogue control means of the client device controls a predetermined output means to display a predetermined dialogue screen and also controls chatting through the dialogue screen.
However, in the conventional techniques in the prior art as described above, conversation of only those chat participants who input characters at higher speeds is adopted if there are differences in key input speed among chat participants. It is therefore difficult for slow typists (or who input characters at lower speeds) to join chatting.
Even when it is desirable to hear opinions from all chat participants, it is difficult to collect messages from all the chat participants.
In addition, in the chat system, the real-time advantage is considered significant. Therefore, coding of transmission sentences that extra processing time is needed is difficult.